Follow Blog via Email

Screenwriting interview with Melissa Leilani

Hi guys! Many of you know I have dabbled in writing over the years and participate in Nanowrimo each year. Of course, I also love movies and especially a well written script. Well, today I had the cool experience today where I got to interview Melissa Leilani and find out what it is like to be a screenwriter. She was the main writer for a film I loved in 2015 called Freetown.

Freetown is a faith-based film but one that is approachable to anyone. It tells the story of a man who must smuggle 6 missionaries out of Liberia during their brutal civil war. Things are tense and Brother Abubakar is a man of practical faith mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism. It makes him a very compelling character.

What I really appreciated about Freetown is that it told a compelling story and let the messsaging take care of itself. Unlike many faith based films (that I still find some value in) I didn’t feel it was preachy or forcing a message upon me. In fact, my friend Yusuf who is Muslim liked the film as much as I did.

Here are both of our reviews:

I think you might find it interesting to watch the film and then listen to the interview about her experience. However, I also think it will be interesting if you are just interested in screenwriting or writing in general. It was really cool to hear about her process, the research that went into the film and how she approached characters and faith.

We do get off topic a few times (we have very similar movie and theater taste!) but it was a lot of fun for me. She has a theater background so her transition from playwright to screenwriter was very interesting.

Anyway, this is only the 3rd interview I have done, so if you have any feedback that would be great. I hope you enjoy it.